monarch

All Toyotas / Lexuses are equipped with plastic engine undercovers. On many models it's necessary or at least helpful to remove this cover when performing routine maintenance like changing the oil filter.

The oil filter location on the RX is not unusual at all. It located underneath the exhaust manifold on MANY MILLIONS of other front wheel drive Toyotas. Not just recently, but going back into the 1980's. A simple solution to avoid burned hands and arms is to let the motor oil drain for an hour or two (or even overnight) before attempting oil filter removal.

No oil change is REQUIRED until 6 months or 5,000 miles. However, you can change the oil more frequently if you want. The factory fill oil is genuine Toyota Oil http://www.saber.net/~monarch/toyoil.jpg which is available at Toyota dealers for anywhere between $1.50 and $2.30 a quart. The correct replacement Toyota oil filter is part$ 90915-YZZD1 and costs about $5.50 at most Toyota dealers, around $7.50 at Lexus dealers, but is only $3.90 at 1sttoyotaparts.com Beware Toyota and Lexus dealers don't generally use genuine Toyota Oil when they service your car. They use a wide variety of bulk oil suppliers to save money. So if you want to continue using the factory fill oil you need to purchase genuine Toyota Oil on your own and have someone install it or change it yourself.

The factory part number for the front sensor of the '90-'94 LS400 is 89495-50010 in case you want to shop online for the best price. No Toyota models use the 89495-50010 sensor so you can't buy it from a Toyota dealer because 89495-50010 is a Lexus exclusive part number. I always used genuine factory original replacement sensors on my 454,000 mile Toyota that still passes Calif. smog tests because even if they cost $50 more, one is assurred of easy installation, perfect fit, optimum gas mileage and lowest emissions and therefore optimum emission componet system life. If I was shopping for an aftermarket sensor my choices would be Denso, then NGK and lastly Bosch. Factory original sensors are made by Denso.

Your first post was about "missing power steering fluid" and we are telling you the chances the the leak will be completely fixed by just replacing the steering rack are very small. The rack is the most expensive part of the whole system so that's why it's the key part the $mechanics$ like to replace. They don't like just cleaning screens because all they can earn from that is a little pocket change. If you don't replace the air valve you could end up a continuing leak plus blue smoke coming out the exhaust pipe and possibly harming the oxygen sensor and catalytic converter. And if there is a PS fluid leak from either the PS pump and / or air valve you could find yourself stranded because fluid commonly leaks down onto the alternator and shorts it out. So from both a financial and car reliability standpoint is makes sense to clean the two screens and replace the air valve first then see if all the system leaks go away. If not, next step is to reseal or replace the PS pump. Leaks from the rack itself after all this other stuff has been done are rare.

Oops, I forget to include this photo http://www.saber.net/~monarch/psscreen.jpg

Independent shop mechanics rarely have LS400 specific experience. So..... Your mechanic probably doesn't know there is a steering rack solenoid filter screen that needs to be kept clean http://www.saber.net/~monarch/solenoid3.jpg to avoid the pressure buildups that cause system leaks to begin with. And your mechanic probably doesn't know there is a filter screen inside the power steering pump reservoir that needs to be kept clean http://www.saber.net/~monarch/solenoid3.jpg to avoid the pressure buildups that cause system leaks to begin with. And your mechanic probably doesn't know the air valve on all 1st generation LS400's needs to be replaced because virtually all leak after 10 years. http://www.saber.net/~monarch/airvalvea.jpg And your mechanic probably doesn't know that the power steering pump itself may leak due to worn seals and the pressure buildups caused by clogged screens. The pump either has to be resealed using a Lexus reseal kit or a new / rebuilt pump installed. Bottom line: Installing a new steering rack is a last resort and likely isn't the source or only souce of fluid leakage. The ONLY fluid approved for use in Lexus power steerring systems is Dexron II or III Automatic Transmission Fluid.

May depend on how many miles you drive a year and how long you plan to keep the car. Example: If you drove 30,000 business miles a year and if the Standard Mileage Deduction was $0.35 per mile then you'd have a deduction of $10,500 miles per year. At the end of 10 years you would have total deductions of $105,000 On the other hand, if you don't plan to drive much and don't plan on keeping the car very long then leasing could be a better bet.

I'd go for the low mileage '94 especially if it was a one owner, senior owner type car. The low mileage senior owned cars tend to have very little mechanical wear and tear so they make excellent used cars.

I have a million miles of Toyota driving experiece and would never ever pay for an extended warranty. Instead I put a little extra money into performing scheduled preventive maintenance more often than suggested in the Scheduled Maintenance Guide and always using genuine Toyota parts, fluids and filters. When a Toyota / Lexus vehicle is maintained in this way, mechanical wear and tear is reduced to very low levels so the chance of ever needed an out-of-warranty repair is very low too. The extra maintenance also optimizes vehicle reliability, engine power and fuel economy.

As mehullica pointed out, you might actually hurt performance by disabling the EGR system: In this official Toyota factory technician training book http://www.saber.net/~monarch/booka.jpg it says: "The EGR system is used for reducing oxides of nitrogen and for engine knock control. By recirculating a controlled amount of exhaust gases into the intake air-fuel mixture, combustion temperature is lowered. This, in turn reduces the amount of NOx emission. Also, the exhaust gases help prevent engine knock and allow for more advanced ignition timing." Now ask yourself: have the authors of mkiv.com, gadgetonline.com and other engine mod promotion oriented websites read complicated technical factory manuals like this? If not, do they admit their ignorance? If not, does that mean they are really in an authoritative position to know the benefits and consequences of mods?

Virtually all the air valves on 1st generation LS400's leak so they all need to be replaced. The alternator has to come out to gain good access to the air valve so you can remove it http://www.saber.net/~monarch/airvalvea.jpg and that means the radiator has to come out so you will have good access to the alternator. However, I've heard some owners who are contortionists have gotten the air valve out without removing the alternator or radiator. This thread provides more info: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...opic=6583&st=15

Carbon deposits will eventually cause an EGR valve to stick. Why do some EGR valves start sticking at 150K miles and others not until 500K or more miles? Owners who buy their cars brand new and perform all the required scheduled preventive maintenance on time using OEM parts and premium gasoline will have engines that are always running perfectly and therefore always generating minimal concentrations of unburned hydrocarbon emissions. Since their exhausts are inherently so clean carbon deposits build up in the EGR system only at a very slow rate.

Sounds like a rear wheel hub bearing might be bad. These will make noise only when cornering at moderate speeds in one direction but not in another. I had one on a front wheel drive Toyota get noisy on me once soon after I hit a seriously huge pothole. You might try taking the hub caps off both rear wheels after driving on a twisty road. If the hub on the side of the car thats making the noise feels warmer than the other side that would help confirm the suspicion of a bad hub bearing.

The same exact accident scenario happened to me once. A little old lady took off on a green light then for no apparently reason slamed on her brakes and I tag her from behind. No one hurt, but the fustrating part of this is the Law seems to always blame the person who hits someone elses car regardless of the reason. So I'm glad to hear you didn't get cited for rear ending someone else.

Avoiding the mess and burned arms is easy: 1. Let the engine oil drain for 2 hours or overnight, then most of the oil in the filter will have drained back into the engine and not spill out when you remove the filter (if you use a Toyota 90915-YZZD1 or 08922-02011 oil filter) 2. Waiting 2 hours or overnight also eliminates the problem of burned hands and arms, plus more dirty oil will flow out of the engine. 3. Use a cap type oil filter wrench attached to a 3/8 inch ratch and then attach it to the oil filter by feel from the top of the engine compartment. Turn the filter counterclockwise with the ratchet handle to remove.

Yes, but if hot air blows through the radiator the thermostatically controlled fan clutch will make the engine's fan will turn faster, to help offset the extra heat generated by the AC condenser. Toyota has used this design on virtually all its rear wheel drive vehicles for more than 30 years. Only the LS, to my knowledge, has fans in front of the AC condenser and my guess is the real purpose of the fans is to assure excellent AC cooling performance (35 - 40 degree F air from the dash outlets) in congested bumper to bumper traffic during hot weather.

I don't know if this could apply to the LS, but in years past "lurches" when shifting into Reverse or Drive when the engine was idling high in the morning were caused by worn drivershaft universal joints. Obviously new LS's didn't lurch (or else no one would have bought them) so something must be worn on your particular car .

Using a "universal" aftermarket fluid (like Amsoil's) that has not been tested and approved to Toyotas reliability and durability standards - only tested and approved to Amsoil's standards - is inherently risky too. Corporate Toyota recommends using a dedicated Dexron III fluid and preferably genuine Toyota Auto Trans. Fluid.

Yes, you purchase just the individual shims required. Examples: If a measured valve clearance is too narrow then it will need a new shim that’s at least one size thinner in order to loosen up the clearance to the desired range. If a measured valve clearance is too wide then it will need a new shim that’s at least one size thicker in order to tighten the valve clearance to the desired range. Shims are available in a range of sizes in increments of .05 mm ( .002") Each individual shim has its own individual part number.

Maybe this metal filter screen is getting clogged http://www.saber.net/~monarch/psscreen.jpg

SK, it says in your profile that you paid only $28000 CAD for your car so you are not the original owner. My experiece with 4 different Toyotas has been the EGR system is troublefree for almost unlimted years and miles when the car is purchased brand new and receives all scheduled preventive maintenance on time using OEM parts and premium gasoline My experience with Toyota equipped with EGR systems is as follows: '92 Toyota pickup 453,000 miles and still in my fleet (and no EGR problems) '91 Lexus LS400 104,000 miles and still in my fleet (and no EGR problems) '89 Toyota Corolla 239,400 miles and still in my fleet (and no EGR problems) '86 Toyota Corolla 394,000 miles when totalled in a car wreck (and no EGR problems up to 394K) All these vehicles were purchased brand new except the Lexus

The two electric fans are AC condenser fans, not radiatpr fans. Mine sometimes come on when I have the AC on. These fans help remove heat from the refrigerant that's circulating around through inside the AC condenser

The people who own and run the the Supra Forums and MKIV.com can't tell durability potential of the EGR valve, catalytic converter etc. since none of those performance enthusiast oriented type folks keep their cars 100% stock using OEM replacement parts, etc. So when their EGR components or catalytic converter or other parts fail at 150,000 miles they just chalk the failures up to "old age" The actual durability potential of all that emission system hardware is really up in the 400,000 - 600,000 mile range http://www.saber.net/~monarch/454.jpg and Toyotas with 450,000+ miles have still passed tough California emission tests with all their factory original emission components http://www.saber.net/~monarch/smog92.jpg

I agree with everything mehullica has said and would like to further add that EGR valve sticking and EGR system related check engine lights are usually a SYMPTOM of current or previous owner failure to keep the engine and its various systems 100% stock and / or performing scheduled preventive maintenance on time using factory original replacement parts. So in my view the correct approach to preventing further future trouble is to get the engine / exhaust, etc. back into factory original shape and the worst approach is to add insult to injury by installing even more mods such as EGR block off plates.